Gov. Dannel P. Malloy leap-frogged the General Assembly and his own task force Thursday, announcing a package of gun control proposals in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, including a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines, universal background checks and expansion of Connecticut’s assault weapons ban.

The Democrat, who has expressed frustration with the pace of the General Assembly’s promised bipartisan response to the Newtown massacre and questioned whether a legislative task force can even reach a deal on gun control, riled Republicans who said Malloy was offering nothing novel. Some accused him of trying to grab headlines on the same day Vice President Joe Biden was in the state speaking at a Danbury gun violence prevention forum and, in the process, making it more difficult to ultimately pass a bipartisan agreement.

“There’s nothing new here. We’ve literally heard every one of these things,” said House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk. “These are exactly the kind of things we’ve been discussing and talking about since we came into session.”

Malloy had encouraged his own Sandy Hook task force to work deliberately, giving them until mid-March to produce some preliminary recommendations about guns, mental health and school security changes in light of the shooting that left 20 first graders and six educators dead on Dec. 14, and promising to understand if they need more time. In fact, state lawmakers had given themselves a speedier time frame, planning to come up with a package of reforms for a vote by late February. Legislative leaders now predict a vote will happen in early March.

“If we’ve got a complete package ready to vote on by the first, second week of March, that’s by no means anything but a success,” said Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield. “I think all sides are working towards that.”

Malloy was unapologetic for pushing his gun ideas early, and said that focusing on the timing of his package rather than the substance “is right out of the NRA playbook,” referring to the National Rifle Association.

“What I’m trying to make sure is, that we’re keeping our eye on the ball and I believe that this document, this discussion, this approach, keeps our eye on the ball,” he said.

Malloy’s five-point proposal was welcome news to gun control advocates, who applauded and cheered before he spoke with reporters Thursday afternoon.

Unlike other proposals to ban high-capacity magazines, Malloy’s plan gives individuals with magazines that can feed more than 10 rounds until Oct. 1 to sell them out of state, turn them over to local law enforcement or permanently modify them so they no longer hold more than 10 rounds.

His package also requires people who lawfully purchased military-style, semi-automatic weapons prior to the proposed ban until Oct. 1 to register them with the state police and obtain a permit and certificate of possession.

Page 2 of 2 - Robert Crook, a state gun rights advocate and executive director of the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen, said most of Malloy’s ideas were expected, adding that the magazine limit will turn semi-automatic weapons into useless paperweights. The only unexpected thing, Crook said, was the governor unveiling his plan now.

“I was just amazed that he preached the committee process and that special task force stuff and suddenly he reversed,” Crook said. “I’m not sure if that’s politics or he just thought they were going too slow or what it is. I’m just quietly amazed, that’s all.”

Other parts of Malloy’s proposal would:

Expand permits to cover more guns.

Make individuals convicted of any offense involving a firearm, the use of force or threat of force, ineligible to obtain a firearm.

Redefine an assault weapon as any semiautomatic weapon that has at least one military feature and ban the sale and purchase of such weapons.

Require gun owners to make sure their weapons, loaded or unloaded, are stored in a way that is inaccessible to not only children, but anyone who shouldn’t have access.

Require training in safe storage to be part of firearms training courses.

Require gun permit holders, firearm safety instructors and employees of gun retailers, gun ranges and gun clubs to notify police when an individual is known to be engaging in illegal behavior involving a firearm.